Island



C. P. KUEHNER.

UMBRELLA FRAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, i918.

15 I Eli wank)": 24 Z6 4y 'fiar/es F 116/7276? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLESP. KUEI-INER, F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

UMBRELLA-FRAME.

Application filed March 14, 1918. Serial so. 222,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. KUEHNER, a citizen ofthe United States, andresident of the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Umbrella-Frames, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to joints for umbrella frames, and has for its object to pro-- vide a joint member which is formed separate and independent of the frame proper, the different members of the joint being socured in their respective frames by the folding of the walls of the frame thereover. j

In practice it is customary to form the frame members of an umbrella of steel and to make them U-shape in cross section.

Various constructions have been employed for connecting the end of the spreader member to the rib member by bending or folding the metal of which the frame is constructed, but owing to the fact that the umbrella "is so often subjected to moisture, the steel quickly becomes corroded, and the joints broken. Therefore to obviate thisdifiicultyand to provide an umbrella whose joint will last indefinitely, I have formed the joint members separate and independent of the frame members, and of a heavier stock than that of the frame; and by forming them separately I am also enabled to make them of a non-corrosive metal such as brass, aluminum or the like.

YVith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1- is a view of a portion of the frame members of an umbrella in spread position and partly in section illustrating the operation of my improved joint members.

Fig. :2- is a detail of the pintle member of the joint.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the eye-member of the joint showing the same as cut from sheet stock before being folded over the bridgepintle and upon itself.

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the pintle-member, and the eye-member as connected to the pintle-member by being folded thereover.

Fig. 5* is a view showing a portion of the under side of the framemember in which the pintle-men'iber is secured by the folding of the walls of 1 the" frame" there- QK.

Fig. 6- is a sectional end view showing the body parts of the eye-member in the trough of the frame-member and said parts b ing secured together therein by the bend ing of the walls of the frame thereover.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the staff of an umbrella on the outer end of which is mounted the eye-member 11 to which theends 12 of the ribs 13 are hinged.

The'inner end 14 of the spreader members 15 ishinged at16 to the sleeve 17 which is mounted to slide onthe staff and be secured in raised position by means ofthe spring wire catch 18. I Q

It is found in practice desirableto provide a, strong and durable joint where the outer end of the spreader member is connected' to the rib-member. To accomplish this in asimple andpractical way, I have provided a pintle-meinber 19 which is preferably formed independent of the rib and of brass, or other suitable non-corrosive ma; terial, the same being constructed with a body portion 20, and a neck portion 21 which is turned outwardly to extend from the? plane of the'body portion. i

The end of this neck is provided with a crossbar 22 which forms a joint-pintle to which the other member of the hinge is connected.

The body of this pintle member is provided with laterally extending portions 23 which serve to positively prevent endwise movement of the pintle-member in its framemember when the walls of the latter are folded over this body portion ofthe member in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. The other member of this hinge-joint is made in the form of an eye-member preferably being struck out of sheet metal, as illustrated in Fig. 3, having a central opening 24: through which the neck 21. of the pintlemember extends, whereby the body parts 25 of this eye-member may be folded over upon itself, as illustrated in Fig. l, causing the bridging portion 26 thereof: to form loops over the crossbar 22 ofthe pintlemember thus providing a hinge which is most strong and durable.

In order to secure the foldedparts of this yeelneinber together, they are passed into the trough-shaped end of the spreader mem- Specification of Letterslatent. Patented Dec. 30,1919.

ber 15, and the walls 25 of this spreader member are folded thereover, as illustrated in Fig. 6, which construction serves a double purpose; first, the rolled-in walls secure this eye member in the spreader member; and second, the rolled-in walls firmly secure the folded parts of the eye member together over its pintle against any possibility of separation. The side edges of the eye Inember are provided with laterally extending portions 27 so that when the walls of the fame are folded thereover, the eye member is securely locked therein against any possibility of relative endwise motion.

It is found in practice that in some cases the hinge members may be reversed, that is the eye member may be held in the rib and the pintle member held in the spreader in which case the eye member would be offset instead of the pintle member.

The foregoin description is directed solely toward the construction illustrated, but I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination With an umbrella frame, the members of which are constructed U-shape in cross section, of a pair of hingejoint members comprising a pintle member having a body secured between the walls of one of said frame members, and an eye member formed of fiat stock folded upon itself over the cross bar of the T-head of said pintle member, the folded portions of said eye member beingv secured together and the eye-member itself being held in the oppositeframemember by folding the side walls of the latter over the doubled portions of the former.

2. The combination with an umbrella frame, the members of which are constructed U-shape in cross section, of a pair of bingejoint members comprising a pintle member having a body secured between the walls of one of said frame members, said pintle member having a T-shaped head offset from the plane of the body portion and extending outwardly laterally from said frame memher, and an eye member formed of flat stock folded upon itself over the cross bar of said T-head, the folded portions of said eye member being secured together between the walls of the opposite frame member.

3. The combination with an umbrella frame the members of which are constructed U-shape in cross section, of a pair of hinge joint members comprising a pintle membev having a body secured between the walls of one of said frame members, and an eye member formed of flat stock folded upon itself over the cross bar of the T-head of said pintle member, the folded portions of In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of one witness.

CHARLES P. KUEHNER.

Vitness I HOWARD E. BARLOW. 

